Pujara sharpening bowling skills

Cheteshwar Pujara has said he has begun to bowl in the nets so that he can add another aspect to his game. Pujara has increasingly become a popular choice for a batting slot in the Indian ODI side, but the team management has resisted playing him. His only two ODIs have come against Zimbabwe when most of the senior batsmen were resting. The popular dissatisfaction around Pujara's non-inclusion reached a height when former captain Sunil Gavaskar almost alleged "favouritism" when India didn't play Pujara in what was an inconsequential match against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup.

India had already been knocked out after defeats to Sri Lanka and Pakistan. There was similar uproar when Pujara didn't get picked for the New Zealand ODIs despite the failure of the incumbent batsmen in the ODIs in South Africa.

"I have also started bowling in nets so that I can contribute as a part-time bowler," Pujara, who has bowled in 10 innings in 93 first-class games, told PTI. "I want to help my team with part-time bowling if the captain wants me to. I am looking to bring improvement in my game, most important being playing on the rise. I am targeting specific areas, which include analysis of my batting and what mistakes I am committing in the middle. It will help me in the longer run."

Pujara is also banking on a good IPL season to further stake his claim. He has played 24 matches over four seasons, collecting 265 runs with a strike rate of 99.25.

"If I can prove myself in the IPL, I am confident that I can get success in ODIs too," Pujara, who was bought by Kings XI Punjab, said. "I had played a couple of good innings for my last franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, which proved that I have the talent to excel in the shortest format also. It's all about getting more opportunities in the coming future. I am looking forward to have a successful IPL."

The commitment to expanding his skills comes on the back of wanting to be part of the World Cup side, which will be played in Australia in early 2015. "I do like to play one-day format," he had told Star Sports in January. "Especially with the 2015 World Cup coming up, I hope I get a chance to play in that team. As a cricketer, everybody dreams to play the World Cup for India and when I was playing one of the Ranji games India won the 2011 World Cup, and we all were following the game and we felt really proud on India winning the World Cup. And when you have the opportunity of serving the country and be part of the team it will be a different feeling. And there are a few things I am working on to be part of the one-day team."

BTW i do not care about T-20.... All I really care is TEST cricket... and ODI world cup....(and away ODIs)

T-20 is just gambling... On its day ZIM can beat AUS fair and square... BD can beat SA.... You just need one batsman to click.... or one bowler a bit of luck.....

san
on March 14, 2014, 13:43 GMT

@Oracle_Magus

From what little I have seen with Aaron and Umesh... I think that Umesh will be a better prospect....

Again..what little I have seen of Aaron... his action does not seem natural.. his left hand seemed stuck... and most of the time he darted hit-me balls on the pads... now that is one direction where it is faster the better for the batsmen..... Have not seen Aaron bowl any decent bouncers or any out swingers (most greats have a good out-swinger.. infact outswinger is their stock ball)...

I would love to see Umesh groomed....

Basically show some confidence in Bhuvi, Manage Shami and provide opportunities to Umesh, Rishi, Pandey, Aaron...

Now Zak is almost finished...Ishant (do not want to waste any words)...

Infact I think Zak would be more valuable in the ODIs than Tests.. as he is old.. and does not have that pace anymore to trouble the technically equipped TEST batsmen.... But in ODIs he can use his thinking brain and stop the run flow at death...

Sanju
on March 14, 2014, 7:15 GMT

@bhushnB and Wolf777
Cheers! Why do feel that MSD or anyone will deliberately make our team Loose bro. Why do you feel that the Captain will be a dictator and make unanimously make decisions with the team selection and changes in fields bowling etc. As in every team the Coach and management is involved with the team selection and Vice Captain and seniors players are involved with on field decisions. Like us they too want our team to win Bro. But lack of an strike bowler will turn the table in opposition's favour. Aaron is a great prospect and with proper guidance and practice he can prove to be one of our greatest asset. Let wish our team the very best for the upcoming T20 and we will surely do well and maybe even lift the Trophy.

Sanju
on March 14, 2014, 6:51 GMT

@bhushnB and Wolf777
Cheers! Why do feel that MSD or anyone will deliberately make our team Loose bro. Why do you feel that the Captain will be a dictator and make unanimously make decisions with the team selection and changes in fields bowling etc. As in every team the Coach and management is involved with the team selection and Vice Captain and seniors players are involved with on field decisions. Like us they too want our team to win Bro. But lack of an strike bowler will turn the table in opposition's favour. Aaron is a great prospect and with proper guidance and practice he can prove to be one of our greatest asset. Let wish our team the very best for the upcoming T20 and we will surely do well and maybe even lift the Trophy.

san
on March 13, 2014, 16:07 GMT

@Pujara

In response to your comment "Cheteshwar Pujara: 'I want to help my team with part-time bowling if the captain wants me to' "

Poor Pujara..... The captain should first let you into the team....before he can ask you to bat/part-time bowl....

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:55 GMT

@ mukesh_LOVE.cricket

Totally agree that Pujara should just concentrate on the tests..... But IND is not performing as a world champion.. forget about that ... it is belted like a minnow by minnows....

We need to give Pujara some chance and see if he is cut out for ODIs.. before it is too late....

otherwise... it will be very hard for us.. die hard IND fans.. to even logon to cricinfo after WC 2015

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:52 GMT

For as much as I despised Sourav Ganguly in his playing days (its just me.. the indian in me..wanted the bat/ball talk....than taking off shirts and being adamant...but may be that was what was needed at that time), when he said "Congrats...but the real test for Dhoni's captaincy

would be in the away tours"... When he said that.. I thought (obviously prejudiced) he was talking out of his jealousy for Dhoni

having such a golden run at home.....

How SPOT ON ganguly was.... Dhoni's captaincy is a nightmare, there is not a single game when the IND fan was at ease when IND is

out of its comfort zone (home conditions) under DHONI..... To rub salt on the fresh wound... we even lost Home test seires to

ENG.....that too having asked for rank turners...

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:48 GMT

Now it may not be entirely DHONI... may be he is just the scapegoat... but who ever is behind all these stupid decisions.. should be taken to task... and all selection matters should be made transparent... and there should be journalists with enough never... who can ask questions directly to the face

Otherwise.. you can just take any of the recently concluded away ODI/TEST... in the last few years and play it over, rewind.. play it over the DVD player... than watch any of the upcoming IND matches... atleast this way.... it is cheaper....

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:45 GMT

continued...

10.) You chant the mantra "pace bowling alrounder".... but give one over to Binny and not send him to bat, even at no.8.....He does it in the face.. in the face of fans.. even in the face of the selectors...

11.) The list is endless..... and will go on and on..... we will have more people like Majoy Tiwary, Ojha... who will be remembered just like Gillespie.. who hit a ton ( or a double) in his last game...... Tiwary with a 100, Ojya with a 10-wicket haul and MOM.... in their last international matches......Now the best test batsmen trying to roll an arm.... Do you thin it is that simple to bowl at so late in the carrer... Ask Swann....how difficult it would be just to roll the arm over and bowl spin... why did he retire?

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:33 GMT

Some of the worst comments/moves by Dhoni:

1.) Project Raina@4 (utter flop.... he was good at what he was doing..but you are just too ambitious... and you want to keep

Rahane out)
2.) We have a settled unit (hilarious.. stupid..idiotic.... If you can brag of an undefeated streak of 10 ODI wins outside of IND

or in AUS/NZ.. then may be...and a very good message to the playing X1 so that they can sulk and party... and rest of IND players can just retire or go after IPL)
3.) We know what spinners are we going into the WC with (Good message to aspiring talent)
4.) I have to think where to fit Pujara in.. He cannot get into the playing X1 just because he is good...well you never have to think twice when getting Rohit/Ishant/ and for that matter Jadeja came out of no where and started playing tests straight away.. and displaced the proven performer Ojha...you did not need to think twice then right?)

san
on March 14, 2014, 13:54 GMT

@ Oracle_Magus

BTW i do not care about T-20.... All I really care is TEST cricket... and ODI world cup....(and away ODIs)

T-20 is just gambling... On its day ZIM can beat AUS fair and square... BD can beat SA.... You just need one batsman to click.... or one bowler a bit of luck.....

san
on March 14, 2014, 13:43 GMT

@Oracle_Magus

From what little I have seen with Aaron and Umesh... I think that Umesh will be a better prospect....

Again..what little I have seen of Aaron... his action does not seem natural.. his left hand seemed stuck... and most of the time he darted hit-me balls on the pads... now that is one direction where it is faster the better for the batsmen..... Have not seen Aaron bowl any decent bouncers or any out swingers (most greats have a good out-swinger.. infact outswinger is their stock ball)...

I would love to see Umesh groomed....

Basically show some confidence in Bhuvi, Manage Shami and provide opportunities to Umesh, Rishi, Pandey, Aaron...

Now Zak is almost finished...Ishant (do not want to waste any words)...

Infact I think Zak would be more valuable in the ODIs than Tests.. as he is old.. and does not have that pace anymore to trouble the technically equipped TEST batsmen.... But in ODIs he can use his thinking brain and stop the run flow at death...

Sanju
on March 14, 2014, 7:15 GMT

@bhushnB and Wolf777
Cheers! Why do feel that MSD or anyone will deliberately make our team Loose bro. Why do you feel that the Captain will be a dictator and make unanimously make decisions with the team selection and changes in fields bowling etc. As in every team the Coach and management is involved with the team selection and Vice Captain and seniors players are involved with on field decisions. Like us they too want our team to win Bro. But lack of an strike bowler will turn the table in opposition's favour. Aaron is a great prospect and with proper guidance and practice he can prove to be one of our greatest asset. Let wish our team the very best for the upcoming T20 and we will surely do well and maybe even lift the Trophy.

Sanju
on March 14, 2014, 6:51 GMT

@bhushnB and Wolf777
Cheers! Why do feel that MSD or anyone will deliberately make our team Loose bro. Why do you feel that the Captain will be a dictator and make unanimously make decisions with the team selection and changes in fields bowling etc. As in every team the Coach and management is involved with the team selection and Vice Captain and seniors players are involved with on field decisions. Like us they too want our team to win Bro. But lack of an strike bowler will turn the table in opposition's favour. Aaron is a great prospect and with proper guidance and practice he can prove to be one of our greatest asset. Let wish our team the very best for the upcoming T20 and we will surely do well and maybe even lift the Trophy.

san
on March 13, 2014, 16:07 GMT

@Pujara

In response to your comment "Cheteshwar Pujara: 'I want to help my team with part-time bowling if the captain wants me to' "

Poor Pujara..... The captain should first let you into the team....before he can ask you to bat/part-time bowl....

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:55 GMT

@ mukesh_LOVE.cricket

Totally agree that Pujara should just concentrate on the tests..... But IND is not performing as a world champion.. forget about that ... it is belted like a minnow by minnows....

We need to give Pujara some chance and see if he is cut out for ODIs.. before it is too late....

otherwise... it will be very hard for us.. die hard IND fans.. to even logon to cricinfo after WC 2015

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:52 GMT

For as much as I despised Sourav Ganguly in his playing days (its just me.. the indian in me..wanted the bat/ball talk....than taking off shirts and being adamant...but may be that was what was needed at that time), when he said "Congrats...but the real test for Dhoni's captaincy

would be in the away tours"... When he said that.. I thought (obviously prejudiced) he was talking out of his jealousy for Dhoni

having such a golden run at home.....

How SPOT ON ganguly was.... Dhoni's captaincy is a nightmare, there is not a single game when the IND fan was at ease when IND is

out of its comfort zone (home conditions) under DHONI..... To rub salt on the fresh wound... we even lost Home test seires to

ENG.....that too having asked for rank turners...

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:48 GMT

Now it may not be entirely DHONI... may be he is just the scapegoat... but who ever is behind all these stupid decisions.. should be taken to task... and all selection matters should be made transparent... and there should be journalists with enough never... who can ask questions directly to the face

Otherwise.. you can just take any of the recently concluded away ODI/TEST... in the last few years and play it over, rewind.. play it over the DVD player... than watch any of the upcoming IND matches... atleast this way.... it is cheaper....

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:45 GMT

continued...

10.) You chant the mantra "pace bowling alrounder".... but give one over to Binny and not send him to bat, even at no.8.....He does it in the face.. in the face of fans.. even in the face of the selectors...

11.) The list is endless..... and will go on and on..... we will have more people like Majoy Tiwary, Ojha... who will be remembered just like Gillespie.. who hit a ton ( or a double) in his last game...... Tiwary with a 100, Ojya with a 10-wicket haul and MOM.... in their last international matches......Now the best test batsmen trying to roll an arm.... Do you thin it is that simple to bowl at so late in the carrer... Ask Swann....how difficult it would be just to roll the arm over and bowl spin... why did he retire?

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:33 GMT

Some of the worst comments/moves by Dhoni:

1.) Project Raina@4 (utter flop.... he was good at what he was doing..but you are just too ambitious... and you want to keep

Rahane out)
2.) We have a settled unit (hilarious.. stupid..idiotic.... If you can brag of an undefeated streak of 10 ODI wins outside of IND

or in AUS/NZ.. then may be...and a very good message to the playing X1 so that they can sulk and party... and rest of IND players can just retire or go after IPL)
3.) We know what spinners are we going into the WC with (Good message to aspiring talent)
4.) I have to think where to fit Pujara in.. He cannot get into the playing X1 just because he is good...well you never have to think twice when getting Rohit/Ishant/ and for that matter Jadeja came out of no where and started playing tests straight away.. and displaced the proven performer Ojha...you did not need to think twice then right?)

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:28 GMT

@wolf777
Totally agree with you.. India stand no chance.. unless they make preperations.... find the players that will make a difference on

those pitches....
But NO DHONI..just wants to stick with his players.. and just hopes they come good.. after experiencing humuliating defeats in 100

ODIs...

He does not want to adapt, or try new things or new players... then how will you get new/better results?

remember
If you fail to prepare, then PREPARE TO FAIL

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:28 GMT

Sunil G is quite right. when he called IND powerhouse on non-cricket related money games... and a powermouse as soon as they step into the field outside of IND....

The upcoming ENG and AUS tours are the last chance for DHONI to regain some pride before he retires.... and he needs a confident Pujara, Rahane, Dhawan, Bhuvi, Umesh....possible Mishra/Ojha... to have any chance...

san
on March 13, 2014, 15:13 GMT

@Oracle_Magus
Looking at the ODI series against SA, scores of 217 and 146...

In today's cricket, unless you are on a grazing field or a square turner, which you almost never get for an ODI, 300 is the new 250......350 is your new 280...

There are pitches in SA, where even 400 was chased.....

Scores of 217 and 146 allout... sound like batting failure to me.

When going gets tough.. thats when only the tough gets going.... the ones with the temperament to handle pressure... I am sure those two matches would been lot closer.. if there is a PUJARA holding up one end.. even scoring at 70 strike rate....

Disclaimer: There is no guarantee that he will....definitely not in each and every match.... but you never know unless you give a chance... and definitely will fare better than getting beaten for 20 balls straight outside the off...

Amit
on March 13, 2014, 15:03 GMT

@ Oracle_Magus… Continuing…When a space opened after Tendulkar retirement, Dhoni went for his best buddy best pal Nohit Sharma even though the presence of Jadeja as an allrounder provides him a luxury of an extra batsman. Match after match India is unable to finish off the lower middle order and tail after initial breakthrough and still no change in strategy. India lost at Lords when Zaheer Khan got injured and Dhoni was left with only one fast bowler. Still, MSD did not change his approach. If you remember, England was in sort of a bother before lunch and before Zaheer Khan pulled out on first day. Two spinners sound good in India. However, what's the need for Ashwin in overseas games. He is a horrible bowler outside subcontinent. Still, MSD has to have him.
I am sorry if is sound negative; however, I see no hope for India in WC as long as bowling dept. is treated as an afterthought.

san
on March 13, 2014, 14:56 GMT

@Oracle_Magus
In response to this comment ---
In our pitches our batsmen can chase any score, so bowling is not a concern here

1.) What happened in Asia cup, are they not our/similar to our pitches
2.) How about defending a target, in our pitches... is bowling not a concern here?

Sanju
on March 13, 2014, 10:00 GMT

@Rahulthevirufan, Bro I admire Rahul as a Batsman and he is the best India has ever produced, but he was not able to lead our team as a unit and hence had to give way to MSD na bro.
A leader has to instill confidence into their players and presently I can bet my money only on MSD as Captain. I just need our team to win bro, don't care who leads the team and don't favour anyone. Virat is a great prospect bro, but he needs more time else his batting is going to suffer. So I would rather have any other Captain and allow Virat to play without stress.
Aaron is not accurate presently and is giving away too many extras. Yadav has been in and out due to Injuries. Awaana has not made into the playing squad as yet I guess. I totally agree with you bro BCCI needs to invest and groom these talents into better prospects. We need pace but also we don't want our bowlers to be warned and taking off from bowling for bowling illegal deliveries coz that will surely put us on a back foot bro.

Rahul
on March 13, 2014, 8:34 GMT

@ oracle magus- Dude u sound as if Dravid destroyed the team. U listen he went with same disqualified squad to go and win series in England, some thing ur dear dhoni couldn't do at all. Ur dhoni got 2 ducks in WC 007. As for his future success as captain it surely is good but his failure has also been equally glaring. Dhoni has slowly turned team into Barceleona- Defensive and boring. He wants a Jhonson but doesn't give chance to Yadav Aaron or Awanna - 3 bowlers who for last 4-5 years have been bowling 145 KPH+ in all 3 formats.

U don't get a gud fast bowler widout investing in one. Remember same jhonson whu has won Aus 7 tests now also won eng a couple of test by wayward bowl. Dhoni some how is comfortable to concede runs from trundlers like Ishant and vinay. But chicken out in pace case.

U know throw these 3 guys in Pakistani or Australian system and in couple of years we (dhini included) will start yearning for having such bowlers for india

Sanju
on March 13, 2014, 7:56 GMT

Dear Wolf777,
CT 2013 was a classic example were we won the cup due to our bowling. In the finals we restricted England to 124 runs and took the trophy bro. Our bowlers then were B Kumar, Umesh, Ishant, Ashwin and Jadeja. We had restricted the Lankans to just 181 in the semis and bowled out Paks for 165 runs in the group matches. After the 2007 WC debacle in the qualifiers under Dravid, our team has come a long way with MSD. And even became the No.1 team, now we are greedy and wants our team to perform every time. But bro other teams are also improving. We had thrashed NZ in both test and ODI series in 2009 under MSD. But we will come across a Mccullum, an Anderson or a Nesham performing well especially at their home grounds. Every country will prepare their pitches to suit their players. In our pitches our batsmen can chase any score, so bowling is not a concern here. But overseas we need a better bowling attack. Aaron is a nice prospect if he is trained. So let's hope for the best :)

mukesh
on March 13, 2014, 7:52 GMT

I think Pujara should concentrate on tests , nobody cares who gets what in IPL or T20 and we have enough guys to do it already , Pujara is a class talent and his temperament and ability should be used to serve India in test cricket , that is his primary skill and that is where he belongs

Android
on March 13, 2014, 7:04 GMT

pujara should get a chance to play in all 3 formats of the game and he is talented also .its better to play his natural game.

Sanju
on March 13, 2014, 4:10 GMT

Dear BbushanB,
You are right bro, Pujara is a rare talent but my main concern is that he should not loose his plot trying various things. As you said his ambition to get in ODI squad has made him try aggressive shots in the NZ series and perish early. He need to understand that this is not his style. He should always stick to his natural game, be it ODI or test matches. And that's when he looks invincible. When he had his surgery he was not even sure if he can get back into cricket. But now he is better he wants to play in all formats, which I don't feel is going to do him any good as he had 2 injuries before the surgery and it can recur if he is going play continuously in all format. Again 'fielding' in the shorter format will put added pressure on to his knee for sure.
Our main concern is the bowling. So we need to groom/train Varun Aaron, he got the pace and if he is accurate then he can scare even the best as Johnson did in SA.

TR
on March 13, 2014, 0:31 GMT

For T20, the only role Pujara can play is like Badri in CSK. There can be only one blocker per team in T20. India already has Rohit (since he will be a permanent player for next 50 years I have to include him) and Rahane who are going to block and block and block. And I think both are better fielders than Pujara. So, its a NO.
For ODI he can surely be included right at the top 1-4. If he comes lower down he will mess up the 35+ overs run rate.
For Tests, of course he is born for that.

SATISH CHANDER
on March 12, 2014, 22:29 GMT

@Abhijit Das...good one - Lord Jadeja and Earl Raina....lol

Amit
on March 12, 2014, 20:27 GMT

@ Oracle_Magus...agtee bowling is the issue. However, that seems to always be an afterthought for the current captain. Since when India bank on bowlers for victory? Even on fast bowling friendly overseas wickets, India goes in with only three fast bowlers. What does that suggests? Then there is an attitude of being apologetic when an Indian bowl out and out fast. A very snobbish attitude of 'What about line and length' comes out. Aaron bowled out and out fast against Bangladesh. What happened? He was not picked in rest of the completion. Military medium pacers meanwhile have extended live line. Tell me, how in the world that inspires anyone to bowl fast?
You saw ODI series against Australia. Which wicket was bowlers friendly in that series? Short boundaries and flat tracks are not know to produce any sort of good bowlers..Fast or Spin.

san
on March 12, 2014, 19:35 GMT

@Oracle_Magus

Interestingly the article mentions the injuries happening during IPL, both times for Pujara, as well as to Shewag....

Totally believe that PUJARA should not play IPL.. but the fact is he is trying to use it as a benchmark to prove his worth to the selectors.... Now this is tricky..

IPL has been the reason several players have been injured in the past.. or played through the tournament in spite of injuries.. and got sidelined for longer..

Worried :(

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/522843.html

san
on March 12, 2014, 18:51 GMT

@Oracle_Magus

In tests there is no one else in the current team that would come with in a mile in terms of talent and temperament. In ODIs he has not played yet so not sure how he will fare against the likes of Kohli.. who is the best at the moment. Even though Pujara suits the best to No-3, I understand and accept that it belongs to Kohli for the forseeable future. If Pujara is ready (and I know he would be), he should open with Dhawan. I think the recent failures in TESTS are due to his disperation to get into the ODI side... He would not play at such a wide ball in the first test in NZ, for anything in the world.. he has already shown and scored at 6-per over in tests, once he is set... In the recent tests he tried to switch to top gear, very early in the innings to maintain a ODI-isque scoring rate right from the start... that is what caused his downfall...

I do not know when the next ODI series is and when they would announce the side... but if it is after IPL... then all he is

san
on March 12, 2014, 18:43 GMT

@Oracle_Magus

totally agree that Pujara is very valuable in TESTs. But we are the defending ODI world champions and have not won a single ODI convicingly in any away ventures recently. If we play the way we played in SA/NZ then we will have to return home in the group stage itself. That would give the rest of the world a chance to call the 2011 WC a fluke in home conditions.

It is our PRIDE as World Champions at STAKE here.... If nor for that, I would have never wanted Pujara in the ODI side.

Are we doing the best we can, in terms of preperation and measuring progress, finding the talent that is needed for that tournament.. NO
Including Pujara would be the first step...mind you.. he is no magic potion that would make us win on day 1, but he will try to impart some confidence and stability high up the order, so that the middle and lower order can bat freely under less pressure. Even though he is technically compared to Dravid, he has the extra knack of finding gaps.. Dravid plays tr

Ashok
on March 12, 2014, 18:42 GMT

I am very pleased to see overwhelming support for Pujara to be included in the ODI XI by "true Indian Fans". Pujara does not have the backing of influential God Fathers like some others Have or Had. Tendulkar would never have come into the Test Cricket as a teen ager if he did not have a strong backing. It looks like "Immense talent" without a supporting "God Father" will only lead to extreme frustration. Bias is more openly shown in India than abroad. Sadly Pujara is the victim - instead of being welcomed with open arms by Dhoni & Kohli. Clearly Pujara has been backed by the Selectors into the squad but debarred from XI by the Indian Captain- be it Dhoni or his younger brother, Kohli. As the saying goes "United we stand & Divided we fall". Indian team needs to include the best players who are united not divided by petty politics or personal grudges. When the Team Captain shows that openly he should be debarred first. A divided team without its best XI lost to SA, NZ, SL & Pakistan!

Android
on March 12, 2014, 17:35 GMT

All the best bro.. pujara is the one who can handle short deliveries wel..

Shiv
on March 12, 2014, 17:31 GMT

I was always confident about Team India performing well against any opposition in any conditions (home or away) in any format. But over the last 2 years, since confidence has taken a serious hit.

The main reason being petty politics, arrogance and stubbornness bought in by Dhoni into the Indian team. People have started taking their place in this precious XI for granted. There is absolutely no accountablity and players keep getting chance after chance inspite failing, while much better players are made to warm the bench.

Mishra did not get a chance under Dhoni, one chance he got under Virat and he almost won the match for us, is just an example.

With just a brittle batting line-up, Pujara is a must in the XI in any format. It is just heartbreaking to see him warm the bench game after game.

Sanju
on March 12, 2014, 17:21 GMT

Dear Wolf777, I totally agree with you bro Pujara should be given as many chances as required, but in test format. Pls go though this link which says about Pujara's knee surgery and Injuries. http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/522843.html
He is too valuable a player in test cricket bro. But with his injuries he may not he able to cope up with the shorter format. Again bro our batting is not the issue, we need bowlers to win games.
It's every cricketer's dream to play the WC, but I believe that Pujara should stick only To test format, as trying soo hard to get will only end up in us loosing a great test player.

dhinakaran
on March 12, 2014, 17:15 GMT

pujara might as well consider moving to australia who are in need of someone consistent at a similar position

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 16:55 GMT

India has so many talented batsmen, when you can ignore someone with the talent and record of this guy Pujara,why do they loose to a team like Newzealand?? o/k bowling also required.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 16:47 GMT

I don't understand people who say Pujara should be a test specialist. Just because he has solid defensive technique doesn't mean he can't score runs. Check his first class/List A record, and even in tests his strike is above 50. Not many batsmen in the world have that. I feel like this is almost a rahul dravid sort of thing. Many doubted his ability to be an ODI player, and just look he turned out to be. You don't have to be a slugger to be in the ODI team. We need someone in the middle who can provide stability and can hang around after the openers fall. He will be a perfect partner for Kohli and will once again make our lower order "finishers" relevant.
Everyone thinks it's Disgusting to see him bowl. The guy has done everything he can with the bat, and still can't earn a place even in meangingles matches. To me it shows how badly he wants in, and this kind of passion can only do good for the team and the player. I hope selectors wake up before Pujara is ruined.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 16:45 GMT

And thus starts the downfall of a great Indian talent due to lack of deserved opportunities.

Amit
on March 12, 2014, 16:29 GMT

@ Oracle_Magus...Rohit Sharma was out of shape for long time...still was given chances after chances...and there are many who were out of shape in Indian team...that never seem to stop their selction...why it is an issue with Pujara???

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 16:23 GMT

Pujara's solid defense at No.4 position will be handy in AUS & NZ when (n)rohit & dhawan fails, he showed a lot of character in SA & NZ series

This is shocking news!!! Not only from the bowling perspective BUT more so from a batting point of view. All-rounders are special for a reason as they can divide their attention on two different arts. If Pujara starts concentrating on bowling then his batting will most definitely suffer. Sehwag and Tendulkar only bowled sparingly only to relieve for a while and also it gave them a break from the monotony of fielding -Both could have made fine bowlers if they took to the art seriously but they probably realised the effort it required. Also keep in mind injury risk and fatigue factor. Pujara should get the bowling idea right out of his head - If he can't make on batting and fielding alone then so be it. In fact, Pujara should just keep away from ODI's and T20's as much as possible. He should only play the occasional short format to hone his attacking play for Test matches. Pujara should be a Test specialist - Why does he want to play ODI's??!!

Sanju
on March 12, 2014, 15:26 GMT

Dear BhushanB, Arnie66 and Mr. Cricket,
I believe that Pujara is second only to Virat as far as talent and temperament is concerned and also agree with you all bro that he is undoubtedly much better than any other batsmen in the current XI. But I also believe bro that his style is best suited for test format. If he has to play an ODI he has to open coz Virat's position should never be tampered with. And sending his lower down is just a waste of his talent as may not help the teams cause as he is not meant for the aggressive role, but as an anchor. Our current set of batsmen has proved in NZ and SA that they can survive a collapse, there is no need to strengthen the batting anymore. Pujara's last 4 innings score was 17, 19, 23 and 1 in NZ and he scored only 33 against NZ XI. So rather than trying various things Pujara should stick to the basics. Rohit and others are doing worse but I still feel Pujara should just stick to test format as he is too valuable for us in that.

ESPN
on March 12, 2014, 15:25 GMT

Sad to see such a talented batsman doing different things to get into team..

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 15:20 GMT

With yuvi not in the team we need someone solid to tk cr of the batting as no.4 s the back bone so pujara is the perfect choice now

IndTheBest
on March 12, 2014, 15:18 GMT

Pujara is being penalized for having one the best technique and talent among his contemporary Indian batsman. Where some of the average batsman makes millions of dollars playing club cricket, he is left behind. If BCCI doesn't take action, they will lose this talented batsman who has all the rights to think about the money he deserves.

Android
on March 12, 2014, 14:40 GMT

jst discusting to see a player who have never bowled wants to bowl....its not esy to start bowling at this age because bowling is an art which needs to be practiced from the childhood its impossible for a player to be bowling at this age......if he starts bowling then no one will be willing to see his batting destroing nd i can sure if he bowls then his batting will be affected....

Sudeep
on March 12, 2014, 14:29 GMT

I'm going to be very cross if we lose Pujara the Test no.3 batsman, in this hullabaloo.

Ashok
on March 12, 2014, 14:28 GMT

@TheUltimateTruth: There comes a time when honest Fans of India have to say "Enough is Enough"! Test Cricket & ODI's are not too different as far as batting is concerned - ODI's require slightly faster rate- which is possible in ODI's with shorter boundaries + field restrictions. So a top class Test Batsman is still the top class ODI batsman. I ask you Sir, why is Pujara not in ODI's with best batting average for India in Tests of over 62? The squad is selected by the Indian Selectors . The Final XI is selected by the Team Captain- in this case Dhoni & Kohli. Your question is "how is pujara not being in the squad Dhoni's fault". Pujara was in the ODI squad, the first time, after he hammered England with a double century & a century in the Test series. But he was Benched by Captain Dhoni. Why did he drop the best batsman? Pujara was in the Asia cup squad but benched in all 4 ODI's by Captain Kohli- Why? This has nothing to do with CSK. It is purely "Personal".This is bad for India!

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 13:45 GMT

The one player who would walk in to any ODI middle order today is reduced to try and become a part time bowler to get into the side, talk about ridiculous!!! But then again, it took England an eternity to realize the value of Ian Bell for their ODI side and Rahul Dravid had to keep wickets to stay in the side.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 12:47 GMT

It is a shame that the "mismanagement" have succeeded in planting seeds of doubt in Pujara's mind, by consistently neglecting him and preferring to include far inferior players in the playing XI. I tend to agree with Sunil Gavaskar's rhetorical doubts!

Pujara is an excellent player; don't kill his confidence completely (which already seems to be eroding). Shame on everyone responsible for it.

Android
on March 12, 2014, 12:13 GMT

I think pujara needs to improve its bowling skills also as india wants a good allrounder

ladlesh
on March 12, 2014, 12:06 GMT

i am so happy that finally there is a player who wants to help his team
and that too by bowling
i think way india is loosing now a days
they really need a bowler
and pujara is a good option
and than too get a place in t20 squad, practice big hitting
i am sure he wants to help india is t20s as well

Rahul
on March 12, 2014, 11:39 GMT

Its good to see that Pujara is devleoping another facet to his game. Equally, it is sad to see that this is what he has to now do to make a case for inclusion int the Team. It is shocking that Ambatti Rayudu and Stuart Binny were selceted over him in the Asia cup team. Did they bowl compelling overs? Did they bat better than Pujara would have? I think Pujara absolutely needs to be in the ODI side. At this relatively inexperienced stage in his career (which has been phenomenal so far), he needs to get as much international cricket as possible. If we bring him only in Test cricket, he will suffer early failures at the start of most series (as he did in SA and NZ) and with Test series now generall being no more than 3 matches, this is not fair to his potential. We ar elimiting a terrific player from potentially evolving into a great!

santhosh
on March 12, 2014, 11:08 GMT

@KiwiRocker: Buddy.....NZ is the only team that lost a series to BD...I dont think there will be no other humiliation greater than that.....now take that and mind your own business....NZ has been playing cricket for so long and just now one player scored a triple century and everyone started celebrating like its an world record......pathetic...

Android
on March 12, 2014, 10:40 GMT

A lot of fans cite Pujara's list A average of 55 to make the case for his inclusion in the one day squad. It is a fair argument considering we need some stability in the middle order. The only problem is Pujara has really bad knees. He has already had surgeries and playing ODI cricket will only take away from his Test career. Rahane has already shown signs of becoming a very good no 4 for India with his solid technique and temperament. He is also a brilliant fielder who Pujara is not.

Salim
on March 12, 2014, 10:39 GMT

Ishant does not need to sharpen his batting skills to be back in the team. He knows that he is out only temporarily and that too only to pacify the ex-cricketers who were unable to fathom the logic of his continuous selection. If Pujara is still not selected, I think he will start keeping wickets so that whenever Dhoni is 'injured', he can stake his claim. Certain players have to employ every trick in the book to come into reckoning, while others keep getting the nod. Fletcher continues to mint money despite a poor run for just being a yes-man to Dhoni. And the captain has already gone public stating that Ashwin and Jadeja are certainties for the next year's World Cup. This not only makes the two complacent, but also leave players like Mishra, Ojha, Bhajji, Rasool, Yusuf fight for the other spot of spinner and all-rounder, albeit as a passenger or a tourist only. The captain's other favourites like Rohit, Raina also leave hardly any room for Yuvi, Rahane, Rayyudu, Pujara, Gambhir, etc.

venkat
on March 12, 2014, 10:31 GMT

@Nampally and others, I don't get this -- how is Pujara not being in the squad Dhoni's fault? Dhoni is not a selector. Once given a squad without Pujara, he didn't have the ability to select Pujara in the final XI. For the Asia Cup, Kohli chose the final XI from the squad and he chose not to include Pujara and Pandey. Again, people are blaming Dhoni and some imagined CSK bias. Interestingly, the poor performers in Asia Cup were non-CSK players. Ashwin and Jadeja did a reasonable job in the tournament. Had Dhoni and Raina been in the team, India would not have lost to Pak and SL. Raina should be included in matches played in the subcontinent, and dropped for the other places.

venkat
on March 12, 2014, 10:15 GMT

When I read the title, I thought it was a bad joke -- until I read the actual article to see it was real. This is sad. Focus on your batting mate. Pujara is a very high class test player, but he hasn't done so well in the limited opportunities he got in the IPL or in the ODIs. I wish him well and I hope he succeeds for India's sake, since the next ODI World Cup is in that part of the world where Indian batters will struggle. He will be a good addition if he has some match practice.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 9:21 GMT

Dhoni still the greatest Indian Wicket-Keeper Batsman in the last 15 years

11th March

Despite critics raining down heavily on Captain Dhoni, he did not utter single reply-call it attitude or guilt, but his presence was felt during the recent Asia Cup in the crucial matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Not to mention that Raina and Yuvraj were missed sorely as well as both have the ability to finish games and launch attacks in the last 15 overs something which lost India the matches. Against Sri Lanka, India were comfortably placed at 175-3 in 38 overs and should have managed around 290 to 300 but they lost wickets in a heap albeit Dhawan, Rahane, Karthick, Rayadu thanks to Mendis. They reached 265 only due to Jadeja and Ashwin who are called favourites of Dhoni but whoever is jealous does not matter because at least thanks to MS India were left in good hands.

Aviral
on March 12, 2014, 9:12 GMT

@kiwi rocke MateI can only laugh at what you said!!! Look at your status and then start talking . you must be pretty pumped up after that solitary win in your life time. No worries because other teams are there to throw you out before India does in world cup15 . ha ha

Aviral
on March 12, 2014, 9:11 GMT

@kiwi rocke MateI can only laugh at what you said!!! Look at your status and then start talking . you must be pretty pumped up after that solitary win in your life time. No worries because other teams are there to throw you out before India does in world cup15 . ha ha

Vinod
on March 12, 2014, 9:04 GMT

i believe a player like pujara is a worthy investment for the team even as a specialist batsman. he should be concentrating merely on batting which is his trade. rohit sharma, vijay should not be in the Indian team.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 8:50 GMT

This is pathetic. no words to describe this. the best Indian batsman in the current team has to resort to all this to get a sympathetic view from Sir Dhoni ..Lord Jadeja & Earl Raina

Arunlal
on March 12, 2014, 8:48 GMT

Any idea about Shrikant Wagh - Vidharbha who is a left handed All Rounder as per Cricinfo..ANyone noticed him as a prospect...?

@timohyj Look at Umesh Yadav's ODI stats and you'll see why he isn't picked. He doesn't go for 60 runs and take 3 wickets. He goes for 70 runs and takes no wickets.

Reza
on March 12, 2014, 8:35 GMT

When Jadeja is the leading bowler in your attack you know somthing is wrong somewhere.

Animesh
on March 12, 2014, 8:25 GMT

@KiwiRocke: I think you have forgotten every time NZ travels in subcontinent they gets brownwashed. How many world cups have NZ/ENG/SA have won.. Check stats before commenting... LOL..

Rahul
on March 12, 2014, 8:25 GMT

I think its a good choice.

Every batsman should know the basics of bowling to provide part time option to his captain. Just 2-3 overs can sometimes be enough.

Same way, every bowler should have basic batting skills. At least enough to hang in there when needed.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 8:01 GMT

" The best possible scenario with Poojara in the line up ( in ODIs and T20s atleast ) is to let him open the batting, since he is technically sound. Then let him play his natural game. Play the anchor role and don't let the opposition with good bowling attack run through the Indian batting line up. The Indian team have enough stroke players who can bat around him freely."

I came to see this observation in someone's comment some where but I totally agree with this.

SATISH CHANDER
on March 12, 2014, 7:53 GMT

@scarrule : It quite simple. Gambhir is not doing great in Ranji so is not getting picked up. Is Vijay doing great? Answer is NO - but he belongs to CSK, MS Dhoni's team and so he will not get dropped. We probably need a better opener than Vijay or Gambhir but do not have any choice for now.

venkataramana rao
on March 12, 2014, 7:42 GMT

I think Ishant Sharma and Shami should add a new dimension to their bowling too by becoming useful batsmen who can play 1-11 as required by the team.
It is a travesty of justice to see Pujara confused like this and saying he is focusing on bowling. I hope he does well in IPL that will shut up the selectors Sir Dhoni and any of his detractors.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 7:19 GMT

remember the 2nd innings played against aus in his 1st test??? 4 years back...
Strikr rate above 80.. still BCCI assumes that he cant play ODI..!!!!

aniket
on March 12, 2014, 6:57 GMT

Can someone explain why no one about gambhir to return. He is our best choice as opener.

srinivasan
on March 12, 2014, 6:51 GMT

What he is trying to say here?
Wait for your turn pro..don`t over react. We can play only 11 players in the team.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 6:50 GMT

this guy is a first choice in ODIs and Tests for pretty much all nations, same as kohli, so what's up with his non-selection?
He seems so driven and intense to succeed and improve.

timothy
on March 12, 2014, 6:33 GMT

The basic problem with the India ODI team is lack of wicket taking bowlers. Actually, there are wicket taking bowlers in India playing domestic cricket, but they continue to be ignored for the national team. Why is Bhuvneshwar always picked in conditions which give him no assistance? Why has Pankaj Singh never been selected (apart from a Zimbabwe tour 4 years ago) and why is Umesh Yadav, an amazing fast bowler still ignored? Why is Varun Aaron still selected on the basis of one delivery he bowled 3 years ago? He has shown everyone that more pace just makes it easier for class batsmen to hit. Why is Ashwin always picked when he doesn't seem to offer anything to the bowling? even if he goes for only 40 and takes no wickets it is useless because of the changes in ODI rules. With only 4 fielders on the boundary batsmen can afford to just knock around singles in the middle overs and explode at the death. Even if Yadav gives 60 and takes 3 wickets it will be worth it.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 6:29 GMT

First up, I agree that it is a pity that such a great batsman has to resort to desperate measures in order to get a spot, which, he should be begged to take up, not beg for it. I just don't see why/how MS Dhoni's name comes up in this discussion.
HE WASN'T EVEN IN ODI SQUAD FOR THE SA AND THE NZ SERIES.(google it)
How on earth can Dhoni select someone who's not even in the squad????

If any player is to be blamed, it should be Virat Kohli.He was the one who refused to give chance to Ishwar Pandey and Cheteshwar Pujara even in the inconsequential ODI against Afganistan, DESPITE the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkiya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik failing, Kohli persisted with them.

piyush
on March 12, 2014, 6:20 GMT

My ques. to all... Guys if players like Nohit sharma and Ishant who r in team from 2008 n they still seems like amatures.. According to u r they oF International standards from any angle... I mean most of u guys can bowl better than Ishant.. And Mr. Nohit takes 20 balls to even put bat to ball.. Please explain what kind of talent is that?
Remember.. Even Steyn said that he has more runs than Nohit...
Dear Dhoni.. if u can wait 6 years 4 Nohit 2 show some form then kindly give Pujara a try..

ashwini
on March 12, 2014, 5:45 GMT

Pujara, for the sake of India's cricket, don't do this. You are a rare batting talent in India and I don't care if you are not there in the ODIs. Your batting skills is very important for India in test matches. You should look to score 8000 + test runs. That'll be your ticket to glory, not the odd wickets which you'll be able to get in the silly world of ODIs & T20s.

Bobby
on March 12, 2014, 5:40 GMT

Looking at India's current bowling attack, Pujara will be an automatic choice based on his bowling alone. Pujara is a slow, boring batsman and an average fielder. Dhoni and Kohli have done well to keep him away from ODI as poor guy's confidence will be knocked off and he will be out from test matches too. Puajra was hyped as next big thing and he failed in NZ. Moving on, India overall has one of the worse bowling attacks in world ( even Afghanistan is better). Indian batting looks toothless without MS Dhoni ( brilliant finisher in ODI's). India's fielding looks rubbish without likes of Raina. While, BCCI has been busy trying to gather up dollars, Indian team on field continues being a soruce of jokes. I bet teams like SL and Pak are having a chuckle at India. It is time that ICC creates some logical and unbiasd rankings. India is the only team that has managed to lose in India 2-0 against England, in SA, In Australia and England 15-0 and in NZ too. So called WC champs were#3 in Asia!

Android
on March 12, 2014, 5:33 GMT

Pujara can replace Rohit Sharma as a opener.

KRISHNA
on March 12, 2014, 5:29 GMT

Dear Sirs,

With so much arguments not yet let out by our Cricket Legends except Sir Sunil Gavaskar, I and my friends feel very strongly that CRININFO could conduct a poll to select the 15 members to represent India in WC 2015. As Gavaskar pointed out, a new Coach should be immediately handed the reins. And the selection committee - wonder when they are going to be choosing a strong, unbiased TEAM INDIA...........Mohan

ESPN
on March 12, 2014, 5:24 GMT

Pujara is the man to go with..
He'll be one of the very few Indian batsman who'll succeed in overseas condition.
but please can anyone suggest at what no. will he bat, in place of rohit? As no. 3 will be Kohli.

Android
on March 12, 2014, 5:23 GMT

well published article. pujara u r really hard working atleast u r not leaving any stoned unturned to be in playing 11 ....gud dedication nd determination

sunder
on March 12, 2014, 5:22 GMT

mark my words, if pujara is not in playing 11 of 2015 WC , india will be thrased

am
on March 12, 2014, 5:20 GMT

Rohit was not there in World cup playing X1 and we won it. Rohit sharma is a failure he will bat one good innings and every other innings that follows will be a disaster. It is not about his failures but the way he is failing, he is so reckless and throws his wicket away. Fielding/catching - poor. He is so arrogant and thinks he is doing enough but he is not. He is disaster. Not only his performance and attitude are poor but whole team is getting affected. After 2011 in last 3 years every time he was included india has fared badly. Champions trophy was the only saving grace, otherwise team combination is pathetic. Dhawan, Pujara, Kohli, Rahani, Rayadu, Dhoni, Binny, Jadeja, B kumar, Ishwar pandey, Jadeja. Raina in contrast is far more useful to the team than this disgusting Rohit sharma. Raina is far better fielder and handy left hand batsman. He can bowl part time spin. Give same number of chances to Pujara and everyone will know how better he is. Very sorry state - indian cricket

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 5:15 GMT

Surprising indeed that we are not including a player averaging over 50 in list A cricket. What's sad to see is the fact that he feels he has to improve his bowling in order to be selected for the first XI. Isn't his batting good enough? Forget speculation, let the numbers speak for itself.

Ramesh
on March 12, 2014, 5:07 GMT

It is so sad to see that the best batsman in the Indian test team has to try to get his ODI place by turning to bowling. He has a better List A (ODI domestic) record than the likes of Rohit, Rahane and Rayadu. To see talented players out of the team while 'favorites' like Ishant, Rohit , Ashwin etc playing despite repeated failures clearly proves what Gavaskar was talking about.

Vikram
on March 12, 2014, 4:57 GMT

Any day a better player that Rohit, Rahane & Rayudu... Pujara would be in the team, only if the Mumbai Cricket Board and former players did not interfere in selection process for the National side... I can't believe that there is not a single player from the current Ranji & Irani Trophy winners Karnataka, in the national squad! I mean, how?

Pr
on March 12, 2014, 4:50 GMT

This is really sad to see. The most classiest batsman at the moment has to learn "new" skills to get into the ODI side. This is when there are so many one-dimensional people in the current squad - Shami( really cant bat or field) , Rayudu( cant bowl that well or field ) , Rohit ( cant bowl or field or even bat sometimes ) , Bhuvi ( cant field or bat ) .
If anything, Pujara should improve his fielding. Thats it.
It is quite evident that the real reason Pujara is not playing is Rohit. As long as Rohit plays, Pujara will get no chance.

Android
on March 12, 2014, 4:33 GMT

great decision
Indian team wants fast bawler all rounder

Anfin
on March 12, 2014, 3:58 GMT

Ohh dear Pujara, PLZ stop bowling work out... We want you only as a batsman.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 3:55 GMT

He is making a huge mistake. You are as good as Kholi. Therefore India has no option except to have you in ODI, otherwise it is over in 2015 WC.

Android
on March 12, 2014, 3:54 GMT

this is absolutely hilarious.... hope pujara doesn't do damage to his batting while doing the allrounder job..... shame that selectors are behaving like this with a player of this caliber.... another dravid in making....if only pujara was in other team like aus or SA,.he would be the core member of the team by now.... May be pujara should drop pujara from his name and rename himself as.chetheshwar Sharma.... May be then he gets more chances like the two sharma's getting.... May be he should go through back door and try and get place in csk.... selectors and team management do everything to hamper the confidence of the players.... look at this guy's average in list A, 54 which exceeds everyone's..... they did the same with dravid and vvs, they just couldn't keep dravid out... same is happening with pujara... India will suffer in WC15 if this guy is not a settled member in the team.... oh Lord he is even.concentrating on IPL which is seriously disheartening to see IPL ain't worth pujara

Android
on March 12, 2014, 3:42 GMT

BCCI should dip their heads in shame for this article. Such a quality player like Pujara has to practice on his bowling skills to get into the odi team. Rohit sharma would be feeling so good about this article. He knows that all he needs is a fifty every 10 innings to maintwin a place in the squad but someone like pujara 6 times 150+ scores and 2 double hundereds as well as a list A average of 50+ is still not enough for him to stay in the team. BCCI you are doing your job really well. Keep up your pathetic work

saravanan
on March 12, 2014, 3:09 GMT

only one thing is certain..sun cannot rise in the west and india cannot even play quarterfinals in WC 2015 if rohit,duncan ashwin and dhoni are in indian team

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 3:01 GMT

Its so funny that bowlers in India are so pathetic that batsman's will bowl. I think very soon we will see Dhoni playing 11 batsmen who can bowl. LOL.In recent past, batsman cant make runs and bowls cant take wickets.
I think, my opinion, all cricket selectors/managers/mentors need to understand unless we produce good pitches in India, we will not produce good bowlers and with lack of quality bowling our batsman have no clue how to face world class bowlers.
We need to understand Indian are not physically well built to bowl 140k. We need strong physically fit players. We find Sharma, Bhuvi, Sami who start well but soon they are no where. WHY ? cause we burn them by over bowling. Look at Australia and S.Africa..they rest their bowlers. Indian bowlers no rest. We bowl them 7-8 overs non stop. Why?

We should have MRF academy for bowlers in cooler climate. Maybe J&K. Chennai is not a place...Its hot and humid...perfect to kill a bowler.

Muhammad
on March 12, 2014, 2:39 GMT

First Ashwin, now Pujara, wonder who will be next... This is reflective of an evolving trend among some very talented batsmen for becoming part-time bowlers to increase/retain their chances for playing in their national side. It is hard for me to visualize 11 "all-rounders" beating a "well rounded" team as a whole on consistent basis. Perhaps I am too old-school for cricket in current era.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 2:34 GMT

pujara have an exvellent class and i am sure he will show in odi

A
on March 12, 2014, 2:23 GMT

@Oracle_Magnus : I totally agree with bhushanB. Though Dhoni is one of the best wicketkeeper batsman in the world today and would be an automatic selection in the side, he has proved himself to be a very ineffective leader. He has no concept of leadership and shows blatant favoritism (Persisting with Ishant and keeping Pujara out of the side are two of his poor decisions). He does not hold his team accountable. Dhoni has to understand that he's appointed the captain to do a job and not to act as the best buddy to his friends! As an Indian supporter, the only consolation I have with the disastrous overseas tours is that Dhoni's record as captain have got tarnished. Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Dhoni has been so stubborn and obstinate that he has been unwilling to take any hard decisions with the argument that he has to support the team. Dhoni deserves all the overseas losses and needs to be replaced !

jithender
on March 12, 2014, 1:56 GMT

cant blame kohli as he is heavily influenced by dhoni and his way of thinking.the picture is clear as gavaskar suggested.dhoni has pushed irfan pathan out of reckoning and is doing the same to pujara and mishra.Due to immense pressure from all sides mishra played a couple of games.i have been writing in your column for more than 2 years that mishra is the best indian spinner by some distance,and i am saying about pujara NOW that he will be the stable and dependable factor if india are to do well in the world cup in australia/newzealand.feel for the country more than you feel for your favourites and do justice with fellow cricketers.if the selection is fair i am sure india will be a team to reckon with perhaps will be able to defend the world cup

Cricket
on March 12, 2014, 1:37 GMT

@Oracle_Magus Well, 'bro' the thing about Pujara is that out of the domestic circuit players, he deserves to be in the ODI squad the most. He has a List A average of 54+ That doesn't just happen. He has serious talent in that format. And India currently needs an anchor in the side. Rohit Sharma is just not doing the job. As for his fitness issues, if he is fit enough to play Test matches against top sides like SA and do well, I don't see why he can't play ODIs as well. This is about selection based on merit.

Vijay
on March 12, 2014, 1:10 GMT

I agree that MSD acts in a stubborn manner a few times when it comes to team selection. But I cannot understand those who blame Dhoni for Kohli's decision to not include Pujara.

Dummy4
on March 12, 2014, 0:35 GMT

Whoever is picking the Indian team at the moment needs to get sacked. How is it that Ishant Sharma keeps getting picked, but Pujara can't get a game?

Pujara has a correct, classical technique that should serve him well in all formats and in all conditions. As an Aussie, I can't understand how he doesn't get picked. He's behind only Kohli as India's best batsman, and he would easily walk into any of our Australian teams at Number three. Forget about him bowling, just let him focus on being a batsman. He's still a young player and you don't want to mess with his head.

Azad
on March 12, 2014, 0:35 GMT

Brilliant - Just Brilliant. One of out best young batsman has to learn how to bowl to get into the ODI team that too when we are loosing most games. Not sure how Karthik and Rayudu are ahead of him in the pecking order.

naresh
on March 11, 2014, 23:31 GMT

This guy is generatng big sympathy wave - cant understand why.

1. people consider him to be Rahul Dravid's successor - he may or may not be worthy of that. time will tell. but its no reason to demand his inclusion

2. peopl caonsider him to have good technique - ok. that is also not sufficient reason (se next point)

3. he has a strike rate of 99 in IPL - 99???? in IPL???? what use is that?

I see no chance of him doing well in ODIs - at nbest he is the Dravid of early years in ODIs. And lets face it - Dravid became REALLY good in ODIs around 2002. Prior to that he had played a few good innings.

So lets not get too excited about Cheteswar.

ESPN
on March 11, 2014, 23:02 GMT

god bless Raina for all he brings to the betterment of cricket.

Now if you believe this. I have a piece of desert to sell you.

Now if

ESPN
on March 11, 2014, 22:59 GMT

My suspicion is that powerful and vocal entities are running the day to day operations of Indian cricket leaving very little meaning to the phrase may the best player...........

Shirish
on March 11, 2014, 22:47 GMT

I am deeply worried - he is one of our best batsmen, and has the potential to be one of the greats of the game in Test matches. If he now loses focus with all this emphasis on one day cricket and T20, team India is in big trouble. Who is managing him? How are they allowing him to focus on these aspects? I hope he is getting the right guidance and support. Not a good sign for Team India.

Naresh
on March 11, 2014, 22:46 GMT

He has played in WC U19 ODI's and scored a century versus England long
back. This was outside the SC also.If he can improve his fielding he could be an asset.

sukanya
on March 11, 2014, 22:32 GMT

Pujara is an excellent batsman and can qualify to the ODI team on his batting merits alone.Should all the batsmen in India bowl? What is the point? Shouldn't the bowlers do their job?

Everbody please calm down with conspiracy theories. It is not VK's fault that CP didn't get to play in the Asia Cup. There were already RS, SD,VK,DK,Rahane, Rayudu that is six batters with Jadeja and Ashwin certain to play. Binny had to get a chance because he already played couple of matches in NZ [dont question what he accomplished] so he had to play and then two medium pacers. Please understand it is not wise to discard players based on less than 20 match performance. It is the fault of the Selectors that CP did not get selected to SA and later to NZ. One must give enough chances for the player to succeed or fail. And, now it is totally unjustified to question Rayudu's place based on 10 matches. Patience my dear fans, patience.

san
on March 11, 2014, 20:03 GMT

@Oracle_Magus

When will Rohit sharma gain that confidence and when will an avg Indian fan sit back in confidence when he is at the crease... I am not talking about his scores in sub-continent.. for that matter.. you do not NEED PUJARA for sub-continent ODIs...and I doubt if he will make much difference... If at all he should have played the ODIs in SA/NZ........ If not for the next ODI WC in AUS/NZ... I would have never wanted PUJARA to play in ODIs.... He is too valuable in the TEST format......

san
on March 11, 2014, 19:57 GMT

@Oracle_Magus
2.) i am sure Virat is smart enough to understand.. that Dhoni still had a hold.. at least until after the 2015 WC... he understands that his form wont be that great.. and for some god forsaken reason.. he loses form while Dhoni is at the helm..he might lose his place just like Gambhir, Yuvi.. He will play safe.. until Dhoni steps down.. and hopefully will have enough confidence not to hinder People like Pujara or other emerging talent.. just because they can be a threat to his position/captaincy...

Ravi
on March 11, 2014, 19:56 GMT

I really feel sorry for this guy. What else does he have to do to get into this team. Mayank Agarwal got to play many times for RCB whereas Pujara does not even get a look in. India has ruined the career of many players. There is no merit in selection. Even if the selectors provide a good player Captain does not want to play them. One thing for sure you cannot ignore him for long.

Binu
on March 11, 2014, 19:54 GMT

I wonder still some people are against Jadeja, he is the most valuable player in the current Indian team after Kohli and MSD! He not even dismissed in Asia cup and in NZ also he was good. If india include Pujara,Rahane and Raydu in same eleven India is not going to win any matches, Infact I wished Jaddu should bat higher in the absence of Raina,Yvi and MSD.Let Pujara replace Rohith i don't mind

Sanju
on March 11, 2014, 19:30 GMT

@bhushnB. Cheers bro.
I can C a lot of animosity towards MSD in your comment bro.
1) Virat could have used as many lifelines as he wanted bro and had we won the Asia Cup, then MSD could have kissed the Captaincy goodbye forever. But even he felt that inclusion of Pujara will not help the teams cause for sure. Virat is smart enough to realise that MSD'S captaincy is hanging on a thin line. We need to understand that our main problem is the bowling. If we allow other teams to score over 300 almost every match no batsmen will be able to get us to win consistently.
2) Indian team had always fared badly in over seas condition from time immemorial. India has won only 2 test series and 1 ODI series out of the 9 series with NZL so far bro. The last series too, we failed only coz of the bowling.
3) Pujara has fitness issues too bro, don't you think it will be better to have a great batsmen play all test matches for us rather than having him in and out of the team due to injuries.

san
on March 11, 2014, 19:26 GMT

@Who ever posted "If he is not in the playing eleven after this world T20, I will stop watching one dayers when India plays".....

I ALREADY DID

My next ODI will be in 2015 WC..(unless the management & captain can provide the assurance that the team selection is free of prejudice & bias)

And it is not just for Pujara..... It is against the blatant favortism to a selected few like Rohit, Ishant, Ashwin, Jadeja, Raina (my opinion is that raina is very useful at his usual No.6 and can play the bowling alrounder.. in place of jadeja/ashwin in ODIs to perfection)...... and then completely ignoring folks like Pujara, Rahane (for a year or two), bhuvi (when he was at his prime and developing), Ojha, Irfan (if/when he gets better), Umesh, Tiwari, Binny (I mean if he is in the 15, he should plan in the final X1 at least in NZ),

san
on March 11, 2014, 19:08 GMT

May be you've already done this... if not... can CRICINFO please conduct a poll... asking if Pujara should play ODIs...

I know there was one.. for the final match against Afg.. but that is for a single match...

I would like to know How many would go and vote NO to pujara in ODIs... any ODIs at all.. in the future

saurabh
on March 11, 2014, 18:58 GMT

what do you want from a guy. why is he trying all this. did rahul dravid tried to bowl part time. seriously man, this is just rubbish. please bring him in the team.every one is saying that, from sourav ganguly to rahul dravid to gavaskar. these three legends cant be wrong. listen to them. and stop him from being next irfan pathan who started batting and stopped concentratin on bowling.

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 18:57 GMT

If he is not in the playing eleven after this world T20, I will stop watching one dayers when India plays

sahil
on March 11, 2014, 18:57 GMT

it is very frustating to see someone like pujara had to wait for so long...he along with kolhi are the two very best players in india...indian selectors or coach or captain or whoever incharge had to look how amla is used by sa or trott by eng...pujara can become the backbone of our batting which is clearly struggling overseas...having someone like pujara can also allow other players like dhawan , dhoni, sharma or raina to play their natural game...if indian team are serious about defending world cup then pujara had to be in team otherwise i dont think they can even reach semis...

san
on March 11, 2014, 18:45 GMT

@Oracle_Magus

1.) MSD is always in the picture....I think Kohli was given one life line with the condition that it cannot be used for Pujara... so he chose Mishra.. and showed how better a bowler he is than the MSD's chosen TWO (mind you in sub-continent pitches)

2.) In a team with flabouyant batsmen who could not complete with a No.8 ranked team on pitches where WC is going to be played in less than a year... PUJARA's style suits the team PERFECTLY.. Infact it is what is needed the MOST right now... Btw did you check his List-A avg/strike rate.. and did you compare it aginst the rest of the players in the final X1--- I did not .. but I bet it is better

3.) Fielding being a liability... Have you looked at Ashwin, Ishant,... may be they two are so expectional in their dept - bowling. that they could find the place inspite of their poor fielding.. but Pujara does not.... If that is your primary concern.. put him in the slips or in one of the catching positions...

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 18:44 GMT

respect for dhoni what he done for india .but PUJARA is a worl class he is only player in indian team who can walk in any team wheather its AUS South Africa Eng or lanka ,he has a mix of DRAVID and SACHIN he is a RUN MACHINE who cn play long innings ,plz plz BCCI dont waste a talent like MAJUMDAR BADRINATH MITHUN MANHAS amit mishra plz came out of FAVOURISM .INDIAN line up is granted now a days ,just plz dhoni and ull get a match after match players like PUJARA comes in a DECADES v have lost DRAVID LAXMAN SACHIN but v have PUJARA play him he aslo have a first class AVG of 58 in one day

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 18:37 GMT

It is crazy not to pick a batsman who has a list A average of 54 in your ODI team.

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 18:34 GMT

Great fan of indian cricket,,, disgusting to see pujara not playing in odi 11..despite is good form...wat do u want from such classy player...

Kohli is no lesser dhoni following typical rules, favorite players,,,

Sanju
on March 11, 2014, 18:28 GMT

It's not MSD who's keeping Pujara away. He was a part of the Asian Cup squad and was not selected for even the inconsequential match against Afghans when MSD was nowhere in picture . Every player has his natural style and Pujara's is suited for the longer version of the game. He has fitness issues and his fielding may become a liability on the team. The present team has the talent, what's lacking is the confidence, especially since our media keeps flashing in bold letters about the inability of the players to face pace, bouncers etc. Trot is a classic example of a player who broke totally under stress. We need to realise that even they are just humans and we have to support them and not pressurise them. Sehwag and Ghambir have passed their prime and have been doing badly even in domestic circuit. So there is no point in getting them back. When things go wrong everyone has a lot of advice, but again we have to realise that the ones making decisions are better qualified than any of us.

san
on March 11, 2014, 18:20 GMT

Pujara.... you are not after a slot in T-20...so please do not change for the sake of IPL....... I think you need to improve your List-A average.... any junkie of the street will have that 50+ avg .... you should get it close to something bradmansique like 100... then I think even DHONI cannot stop you.....

hmm.. may be he still can...

Shashank
on March 11, 2014, 18:19 GMT

What a shame! Why is BCCI allowing this to happen? Pujara is the future of Indian cricket. He needs to be given every possible opportunity to play but not the other way around. Open your eyes BCCI and for god sake, get rid of the guy called DUNCAN FLETCHER.

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 18:17 GMT

ok for all of u who r asking for rohit to be replaced, in the past one year after moving to opening rohit has scored almost 1450 runs at 46.7 avg. only kohli has more runs. He did have a bad series in SA so did Dhawan and Kohli. Even in world, i dont find many players with more runs than rohit in last one year, and they had bad series too(Misbah*).Common u cant drop a player who avgs so much over the last year just bcoz he had one or 2 bad series. on the flip side rayudu grabbed opportunity in zimbabwe series but pujara didnt. dats y rayudu is being preffered over pujara or else it wud've been pujara playing in NZ/Asia cup.

Ashok
on March 11, 2014, 18:16 GMT

Pujara does not need to prove anything by resorting to Bowling & risking a knee injury. He is easily the best Indian batsman in the Tests which also qualifies to be the best ODI batsman if the Captain has 2 cents of Common sense to include him in XI. Dhoni has kept him OUT of the XI with a vengeance! He also taught his successor for the Asian CUP, Kohli, to follow his lead. It has incensed the Indian Fans & also the Great Gavaskar to cry Foul on the Indian team management. Pujara should just focus on his batting. His Fans know he is amongst the Top Ranked Batsmen in the World- Not Just India- today. Bone headed XI selection has cost India losses to SA, NZ, SL & Pakistan. Unless the Indian Selectors & the XI Selectors get a grip on this biased XI selection, India will become a "Minnows" not ODI champions. India has Dhawan, Kohli & Pujara as the only guys who are capable of getting big score. The rest of the batting is HUGE??. If Pujara is out of XI, 33% of the Indian batting is Gone!

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 18:01 GMT

wow...this was only waiting to happen, congrats to BCCI and Dhoni for forcing an absolutely classy batsmen out and forcing him to improve his bowling, why cannot a genuine batsmen of purely high class just be a part of a struggling batting side on his batting alone? If Dhoni feels his style is not suited for ODI, then how would he justify his own positing in test? and leave those of his other favourites in both Tests and ODIs.....it happens only in India.
Shudder to think what would have Dravid achieved if he had to concentrate on bowling to be in the team.

nik
on March 11, 2014, 18:01 GMT

joke. he should practice fielding instead.

charith
on March 11, 2014, 18:00 GMT

I'm from SL but i really like to pujara & kohli bats..they did well SA ..but what is pujara doing here? he is good enough batsmen..dont what be a allrounder to be selected for him ..his modern dravid for IND..dont ruin this man before making BIG 3 u have to manage players..if he want he can improve his feilding..pls indians dont do this for such a talent...

S
on March 11, 2014, 17:56 GMT

IMO, most teams, not only India, have somehow given up on the category of batsmen who are of the i-can-bail-the-team-out-of-trouble-when-needed types i.e. Dravid, Steve Waugh types.. And that is the reason why, nowadays the performances swing between extremes. A cricket fan has absolutely no idea of how well his favorite team is playing at the moment. (And IMO, undue importance to Fielding is the main culprit here, at least in India).

Android
on March 11, 2014, 17:51 GMT

Pujara is going the Irfan Pathan way. Irfan concentrated on his batting, thanks to Guru Greg. Pujara thanks to MSD. We are going to lose yet another super talented cricketer, thanks to mismanagement. God save Indian cricket.

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 17:40 GMT

Nonsense. He should focus on his batting and fitness. He is good enough to be selected on the batting alone. Its his injury and knee situation that is keeping him away. He should build some muscles in the legs and be able to run fast. India doesn't need another part time bowler.

Vijay
on March 11, 2014, 17:38 GMT

Can't believe he needs to do all this to get picked in the playing XI....he batting skills would more than qualify for a selection in the playing XI....Rahane was a good find for opening, in the match against Rajasthan...he has the right temperament, rotates strike well which Rohit has consistently failed to do....Let Rahane open, throw out Rohit and get Pujara at No. 4....can't believe we don't have a stable batsman at such a crucial position with World Cup less than a year away

Satish
on March 11, 2014, 17:37 GMT

BCCI are you listing!!! Look at the dedications this guy is showing for a chance in Indian ODI team.We need this kind of guys in playing XI if you really want to give competition to good sides like South Africa,Australia etc,, in coming world cup. You will give N number of chances to guys who is very bad technically and no chance to a player who is technically strong!!! Sunny you are 100% correct, if they give one chance to this guy they will loose their favorite players in the team.

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 17:27 GMT

One could understand the mental agony and depression,the Solid Batter in Pujara having been subjected to, by his indiscreet omission in the recent ODIs, despite him, being in the 15 member Squad.But what he has tried to do, as sort of Improvisation of his current Bowling prowess, which might help his Team's cause.

There are cases, like a bowler turned batsman, spinner turned pacer etc. If some of our tail enders also try to emulate Pujara, by improving otherwise their awful batting it'll go a long way to help themselves and the Team as well.

Pujara is mistakenly deemed to be a rock soild batsman, whose temperament is suitable for Test Cricket only.But he knows when to play aggressive Cricket and accelerate to achieve the target. Let's not waste the proven talents in Pujara, who has the right attitude to be part of Team India, across all formats of the game !

M
on March 11, 2014, 17:26 GMT

He sounds like Dravid, will do anything for team, but i hope he doesnt lose his batting ability in the process and end up like Irfan(bowler to batsman), not all people can manage like dravid did.They can use him like Trott, Amla in the ODI team to hold one end up while the other end we can have good strikers like kohli, dhoni. Good luck Pujara, looking forward to see you in ODI team.

Android
on March 11, 2014, 17:23 GMT

This is hilarious. If Pujura wants to improve his game, he should focus on improving his fielding.

mukesh
on March 11, 2014, 17:18 GMT

Indian Team trend for ODI/T20
selectors want to drop yousuf (genuine all-rounder) -> Raina gets node as specialist batsman
selectors want to drop Raina -> Dhoni and management says he all-rounder
Selector want to get Rohit into team as batsman
selectors want to drop Rohit -> Dhoni and management says he is all-rounder.
Now when actually on paper neither Rohit nor Raina are all-rounders . they are at max part timers and could only hold there position based on there batting skills.
Pure in cricketing Terms both are worse batsmen then Pujara.. but both are excellent with media and ofcourse with Dhoni and management. I have never seen Raina on Bench .. i did see Rohit on bench for couple of games when he looses form but brought back using same tactic.
coming in to WC 2015 neither Rohit nor Raina can be tagged as part timers in OZ conditions .. so best part for Pujara is he could do some medium pace and use same ticket for WC which these 2 demi-gods have done time and again with MSD!!!!

Harry
on March 11, 2014, 17:18 GMT

MSD needs to go from Tests and ODIs both as captain and player. He is the KP of Indian team right now. He has kept Gambhir, Mishra and now Pujara out of the side to suit his favorites - Rohit and Jadeja. He can play for CSK and T20s but he is wasting a space in the test team and failed as the ODI captain in SA and NZ. Pujara should open both in Tests and ODIs. If he is a slow player then opening will be best position to play. He is too good against fast and short bowling which Rohit, Dhawan, Rahane struggle with. Can Rohit and Dhawan face up to Mitch Johnson in Aus in WC2015? Pujara can. If his knees are a problem then let him do fitness routines and field in the slips. Pujara need not bowl if 5 proper bowlers are picked in the team. My pick for WC2015

l dont know why always people are behind rohit sharma........ he was man of the series against mighty australians....... two consecutive centuary on debut.... second highest run scorer after kohli in 2013.....the man,s talent praised by the god (SRT) himself.... now talking about chances he made his test debut almost 7 years after start of his career.... despite having avg of above 60 in domestic circuit with almost 20 centuties...... he is a complete player who can adapt in any format which unfortunately cant b associated with players like raina, vijay and pujara.

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 17:11 GMT

Another Laxman in the making !!!! The same thing BCCI selectors did to him....was not selected for major tournaments like World cup.......they jus assume some batsmen only fit for Tests...When giving so many chances for Rahane n Rohit....y not try Pujara..... :-(

Dal
on March 11, 2014, 17:10 GMT

Solidity is need in the middle, i would play him instead of Rayudu / Rohit

Android
on March 11, 2014, 17:10 GMT

He should improve his fielding rather than his bowling. This is a hilarious.

Axe
on March 11, 2014, 17:05 GMT

Congrats everyone. We once "had" a great batsman named Pujara.

Congrats BCCI, the boy is lost now and sadly no one is there to guide him.

Android
on March 11, 2014, 17:02 GMT

Hopefully he doesn't lose his batting edge

S
on March 11, 2014, 16:58 GMT

At people calling for Rohit's head -- you understand very little about politics of Indian cricket. There always needs to be someone in the team from the Mumbai school of batting. Rohit has the backing of the entire commentary box including SMG + the entire Mumbai lobby which is very very strong in Indian cricket. Pujara suffers from the ignominy of being from a a state which is lesser known for cricket. He will continue to suffer.

Android
on March 11, 2014, 16:50 GMT

this is unimitably the reincarnation of Dravid! I'm sure the wall would have reacted similarly to such a situation! he kept wickets; opened the batting in tests and did everything possible to help the team and now pujara oozes the same kind of commitment! class act

Android
on March 11, 2014, 16:50 GMT

it is very sad to see that the pujara is not permanent member of Indian ODI squad I think some players are afraid of his class and talent.
Pujara keep it up u will be in the side very soon u r a real sensation for emerging cricketers all over the world.
A fan of your from PAKISTAN.

Prashant
on March 11, 2014, 16:40 GMT

I am deeply saddened by this news :( . It has come as a shock really. The man averages more than 50 in list A matches at a very healthy strike rate & is still not picked in the one day side even in the inconsequential games !!
He believes that bcoz Prince/God Rohit can turn that arm over without even spinning the ball an inch is given precedence over him in ODIs, he should also add an additional skill so that atleast he is considered.
Really, a sad day for Indian cricket.

vishal
on March 11, 2014, 16:34 GMT

Rohit with so called unseen "talent" gets to be in the team when this guy whose talent is clearly seen gets no spots. ridiculous by indian management.

biju
on March 11, 2014, 16:34 GMT

Dhoni should go as a captain,thank you so much for his contribution.
He is a great player.,because of him we don't have good bolwers.
He didn't use srisanth properly,only because of srisanth and irsanth we won the test matches in australia,south africa.
no execuses for not including pujara in one day matches.
1.davan.2.gambir3.pujara4.kholi5.rahana.6dhoni.7jadeja.8aswin.9miztra/varun10.kumarr11shami.
this could be the batting line up

Ramya
on March 11, 2014, 16:30 GMT

Oh No Pujara! You are an artist with the bat - look wht the selecion committee has done to an amazing talent?! God please someone advise him against all this! He is too good a player to try another dimension!

Fletcher, MSD and Kohli - wht a confidence dip this is to a man who is expected to be part of the playing XI by most ppl in the country for WC 2015 - Down under he is the kind of bat you need at No.4 / No.3!

Android
on March 11, 2014, 16:27 GMT

Indian management is simply pathetic. Why would you have one of your best player warn the benches. Oh let me guess, so that they can reserve a place for Rohit sharma, Rahanae would does well aginst teams like bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. Good Job BCCI, Pujara woyld have played a 100 odi's by now had he been playing for a different country as they would want their one of best players out in the middle as much as possible. Such disgusting politics can only deteriorate Indian Cricket. Well Rohit sharma would be glad he has reserved a permanent spot in the ODI's. People like gambhir have to work hard to keep a place with an average of 39 in the odi's and 44 in the test have to struggle to stay in the team.

Dummy
on March 11, 2014, 16:26 GMT

This is how BCCI and indian cricket spoils a good player....push pujara to bowl.... ask irfan to bat... n sir jadeja who cant do neither is played in test matches as specialist allrounder

Android
on March 11, 2014, 16:23 GMT

its realy sad to see our best batsman practising part time bowling to get in the team...what a shame...its remind me of dravid who kept wickets to be in ODI. drop rohit n bring pujara as an opener.its d best bet in long term

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 16:19 GMT

Anything less than a standing ovation for Pujara's determination to represent his country in ODIs will underestimate his character. Got to respect that.
But this also shows the state of team management. A deserving guy, better than many in the team, doesn't get enough chances. Or even some chances. His only chances were in dead rubbers in second-string side against Zimbabwe. A player has to concentrate on things which are not his talent to get selected? Surely there's something different going in selectors' mind. Hope he will get his long-due chances soon, maybe in next ODI of India.

Nish
on March 11, 2014, 16:15 GMT

Even though Pujara has been unlucky in not having had more ODI opportunities, he should be a bit careful with now doing a bit of bowling too in light of the problems he has had in the past with his knees. He is too valuable for our Test team - so maybe this is why the selectors haven't chosen him for many of our ODI squads to date.

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 16:13 GMT

"As a cricketer, everybody dreams to play the World Cup for India" who cares? Dhoni was not impressed. you jus remind off me. When I was an innocent lad, & laid out my qualities, nobody gave a damn. Once I learned the politics, I made them dance 2 my tune. Unfortunately thats hw things work here in India. REAL TALENT HAS NO RESPECT. Get it Pujara, ITS NOT HOW MUCH YOU KNOW, ITS WHOM DO YOU KNOW

mukesh
on March 11, 2014, 16:04 GMT

This IPL season should be make or break for Pujara. We have seen how our selectors emphasize on IPL performances more than performances in the domestic tournaments (which is a shame in itself by the way). From the limited opportunities he has got in IPL, he hasn't set the stage on fire.

Arjit
on March 11, 2014, 15:59 GMT

Since Pujara has been convocated as the New Wall of the Indian Test Team, the "Actual Wall" was too criticized for his slow batting during his early days.If he the legend could adjust so beautifully to the ODI format why not Pujara as he seems to possess all the talent in the world. Its high time Rahane opens with Dhawan and Pujara gets a look in ahead of Rohit Sharma at #4 in the shorter version of the Game.

Prateek
on March 11, 2014, 15:58 GMT

I sincerely hope that in trying to add another skill to his game, Pujara doesn't hurt his batting. It is completely unfair to force him to try something extra. He is easily the best Indian batsman at present (yes better than Kohli too) and should walk in the ODI side straight away. If anything he can always work on his running between the wickets, catching and fielding but bowling? Give him a break.

Amit
on March 11, 2014, 15:50 GMT

You better change your name to Rohit Sharma....you will never have to worry about anyone dropping from the team...you will becalled the talent on lone from the God (the real one, of course!)...

Ramana
on March 11, 2014, 15:47 GMT

This is seriously weird ! Our premier Test quality batsman is learning to bowl ??
Reminds me of Irfan Pathan, a high quality pace bowler practising batting, trying to become an all rounder.
I hope, for Pujara's sake, his fate is different from Pathan's !

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 15:45 GMT

I am a big fan of Dhoni, but the way he give preference to Chennai team, I hate it.
He should have always open to try with different players on bench.
Ex: Ashwin - we can keep him on bench when we are playing in fast pitch countries like New Zealand, Australia etc and can give a chance to Ojha or like to.
Rohitsharma - He is always a burden to Indian cricket team, may be he s good at Indian conditions but not in outside of India, instead of him we can send Rahane as opener and second down we can give a chance to Pujara, he may be another Dravid to Indian cricket team

Chaitanya
on March 11, 2014, 15:42 GMT

He's being distracted from his core skill.....and then even on his core skill, he's obsessing over technicals...we don't want him to go the Manjrekar route.
Selection Committee - please handle him better. He can already play the dravid anchor role in ODIs and we need his competence on more bowler friendly surfaces...

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 15:37 GMT

That's what determination all about...!! Even if now he doesn't get that middle order spot, then it's better for him to concentrate in tests only. His selection could ease the fragility in the Indian Middle order big time.

Android
on March 11, 2014, 15:37 GMT

Looking at how test cricket is the only format he is playing, he should be able to cope with an additional skill. I would love to see him in the current ODI Indian team. Best of wishes to the guy from across the border.

Android
on March 11, 2014, 15:36 GMT

poor lad.. what else does he have to do now?? on top of that, a batsman of his class going to the heights of praising ipl for his opportunity in the team shows pure desperation and lack of confidence garnered inside him by the management. Even Kohli, being a young player himself, did not pick him.

Kiran
on March 11, 2014, 15:36 GMT

Pujara is a direct threat to the position of Rohit at the top of the order and for some unknown reasons, Dhoni and BCCI favor Rohit unduly. I can believe that a guy averaging 35 (most games on sub-continent decks) after so many matches is walking into the team as a direct selection. I have absolutely no doubts that Pujara will perform far far better than what Rohit has done. His list A stats are very impressive and he has played really well in the longer format of the game and displayed all round shots. Time to give him 20 ODI to select him for the WC 2015 squad and give No hit a break

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 15:36 GMT

Pujara have a talent, he must get chance to play 2015 World Cup.

Rajesh
on March 11, 2014, 15:34 GMT

This reflects the pathetic state of Indian cricket, when such a high quality batsmen is not given a place in the Indian team, which has place for inconsistent batsmen like Rohit, Rayudu and flat track bullies like Dhawan, Raina etc. Quite sad to hear that Pujara is forced to improve his bowling skills?? and why do we need that?? Do we really need a specialist like Pujara, who can be our answer for the next Dravid to start concentrating on bowling instead of batting?? ... Shame on you, Dhoni/Fletcher..

san
on March 11, 2014, 15:31 GMT

Oops Shami is still in one-piece and playing..... I thought he would have broken down by now.. with non-stop cricket....

Well I think Pujara should concentrate more on his batting and not on attempting something new to find place in ODI team. He is good candidate for number 4/5 batsman(considering Virat will continue batting on number 3) accompanied by Raina, Rayudu and Rahane(All 3 has 'R' as first character in their last name).
He should sharpen his batting(by playing some excellent innings in shorter formats like IPL) instead of going for bowling. Also this article shows his desperation to get place in ODI team. It is good that he is desperate to get place in ODI team, it will definitely bring something good out of him. Other then showing desperation, he has a lot to learn for shorter formats I guess.
Just 1 line for Pujara, "ALL THE BEST".

san
on March 11, 2014, 15:28 GMT

Pujara... you are too valuable for IND for the upcoming tests in ENG, AUS... Hope all this fuss over ODI does not affect your main focus....betting in tests....

We IND fans look up to you... as the lone glimmer of hope...in those away tests... We are still hurting from the previous white washes... and can't take any more of that......

siddhartha
on March 11, 2014, 15:27 GMT

Just noticed Pujara averages 54 + in domestic one dayers which is more than any one else in current Indian team. Wonder what is preventing him from getting selected in Indian ODI playing XI

san
on March 11, 2014, 15:24 GMT

Dhoni and co are making this guy desperate..... when in desperation.. you try different things.. and lose focus on your main forte.... Look at Irfan, Ashwin,

Tendulkar could have definitely bowled lot more... hes got the talent and the brains..... but he does not want to lose his focus on his batting.... Pity Dravid had to do keeping to maintain his place in the ODI side.... even though someone of his calibre does not need to... With bad knees we should nurture and safeguard such talent as Pujara.... but hell no....

san
on March 11, 2014, 15:19 GMT

So Pujara the batsman does not qualify to be in IND ODI X1..... Shame on you BCCI selection committee and Dhoni

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 15:13 GMT

This man deserves a spot in Indian Team. :o hes working so hard :o

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 15:12 GMT

Will MS Dhoni think now.....

No featured comments at the moment.

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 15:12 GMT

Will MS Dhoni think now.....

Dummy4
on March 11, 2014, 15:13 GMT

This man deserves a spot in Indian Team. :o hes working so hard :o

san
on March 11, 2014, 15:19 GMT

So Pujara the batsman does not qualify to be in IND ODI X1..... Shame on you BCCI selection committee and Dhoni

san
on March 11, 2014, 15:24 GMT

Dhoni and co are making this guy desperate..... when in desperation.. you try different things.. and lose focus on your main forte.... Look at Irfan, Ashwin,

Tendulkar could have definitely bowled lot more... hes got the talent and the brains..... but he does not want to lose his focus on his batting.... Pity Dravid had to do keeping to maintain his place in the ODI side.... even though someone of his calibre does not need to... With bad knees we should nurture and safeguard such talent as Pujara.... but hell no....

siddhartha
on March 11, 2014, 15:27 GMT

Just noticed Pujara averages 54 + in domestic one dayers which is more than any one else in current Indian team. Wonder what is preventing him from getting selected in Indian ODI playing XI

san
on March 11, 2014, 15:28 GMT

Pujara... you are too valuable for IND for the upcoming tests in ENG, AUS... Hope all this fuss over ODI does not affect your main focus....betting in tests....

We IND fans look up to you... as the lone glimmer of hope...in those away tests... We are still hurting from the previous white washes... and can't take any more of that......

Chinmay
on March 11, 2014, 15:31 GMT

Well I think Pujara should concentrate more on his batting and not on attempting something new to find place in ODI team. He is good candidate for number 4/5 batsman(considering Virat will continue batting on number 3) accompanied by Raina, Rayudu and Rahane(All 3 has 'R' as first character in their last name).
He should sharpen his batting(by playing some excellent innings in shorter formats like IPL) instead of going for bowling. Also this article shows his desperation to get place in ODI team. It is good that he is desperate to get place in ODI team, it will definitely bring something good out of him. Other then showing desperation, he has a lot to learn for shorter formats I guess.
Just 1 line for Pujara, "ALL THE BEST".

san
on March 11, 2014, 15:31 GMT

Oops Shami is still in one-piece and playing..... I thought he would have broken down by now.. with non-stop cricket....

This reflects the pathetic state of Indian cricket, when such a high quality batsmen is not given a place in the Indian team, which has place for inconsistent batsmen like Rohit, Rayudu and flat track bullies like Dhawan, Raina etc. Quite sad to hear that Pujara is forced to improve his bowling skills?? and why do we need that?? Do we really need a specialist like Pujara, who can be our answer for the next Dravid to start concentrating on bowling instead of batting?? ... Shame on you, Dhoni/Fletcher..

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